Smart Grid Gains from New Black & Veatch EPC Program Management System

OVERLAND PARK, KS Black & Veatch announces a new tool aimed at helping utilities deploy large-scale grid modernization projects. The company's cloud-based Spatial Engineering Knowledge Optimization Immersive Analysis system - SEKOIA - is a central hub for all project management and design-build applications. It provides project teams with real-time views into a project's status and performance which can be accessed anytime and from most mobile devices, driving more informed decisions about operations and planning.

SEKOIA, powered by Black & Veatch's data analytics platform, ASSET360â„¢ -- uses a services-oriented architecture. This open system allows SEKOIA to easily apply the latest processes in project management, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC), such as building information modeling (BIM) and geographic information systems (GIS), to create a unique user experience and tool.

With GIS becoming more integral to the design-build process, SEKOIA uses GIS information to build dynamic maps and status sequencing animations where teams can quickly view past, present and future scenarios. For an EPC project, having a single source of truth keeps the project aligned throughout its lifecycle.

"Utilities investing in digital upgrades for the smart grid are faced with the complex issue of adding hundreds, or as many as thousands of assets to their systems," said Jeff Mehlin, Associate Vice President of Utility Telecom & Automation for Black & Veatch's Telecommunications business. "Black & Veatch has used its experience in designing and building distributed, multi-site networks to design a tool that simplifies the process. It brings all of our proven design and project management applications together in a single system, so our clients experience better collaboration, accelerated schedules and, overall, a quality execution."

SEKOIA helps manage, visualize and act on the influx of project data involved with designing and building communication and automation upgrades. It captures, integrates and analyzes data and defined key performance indicators (KPI) such as field data, drawings, schedules, budgets, resources, and quality metrics. Data from multiple applications and devices are imported and visualized via a single, centralized view that offers actionable information to guide day-to-day operations and decision-making.

After a project is finished, SEKOIA maintains a historical account of assets that can seamlessly transition into operations and maintenance, creating a long-term asset management tool, further maximizing return on investment. Any type of project with hundreds, even thousands, of assets distributed across multiple locations can be efficiently managed and deployed using SEKOIA.